 | Ion Thruster FX A tryout of the big ass Ion Thruster on the new shuttle model. Post FX with Combustion. |
 | ion thruster I Very simple demo of hi-speed rotation based on HV application to sharpended rotor. Ion-reactive propulsion. |
 | ion thruster II Very simple demo of hi-speed rotation based on HV application to sharpended rotor. Ion-reactive propulsion. |
 | Ion Propulsion Ion Propulsion - Transport System to the Planets The efficiency of a rocket engine can be described by its specific impulse, which is the change of momentum gained from a 1 kilogram weight of propellent. The Space Shuttle main engines have a specific impulse of 453 seconds which is typical of a liquid fuelled rocket engine. An Ion thruster has a specific impulse of more than 3000 seconds and so requires less than a sixth of the fuel of a liquid fuelled engine. Gridded electrostatic ion thrusters commonly utilize Xenon gas. The gas is first ionized by bombarding it with electrons. The positively charged ions then diffuse through the positive grid and enter a potential difference between the positive and negative grids. The potential difference accelerates the ions to high velocities, which then leave the engine to create thrust. An electron emitter, on the exterior of the engine, neutralizes the ion beam to prevent charge build-up. The typical thrust of an ion engine is equivalent to a weight of 10 grams - about the weight of a sheet of paper. This means ion thrusters need to provide continuous thrust for a very long time in order to achieve a reasonable change in velocity. Electrostatic ion engines have been tested for 3.5 years of continuous thrust at full power. Collision of ions with the charged grids causes their erosion and will lead to eventual failure. Ion engines consume more than 2 kilowatts of electrical power, which may be generated by solar arrays or nuclear generator. NASA has developed a Xenon ion thruster called NSTAR for use in their inter-planetary missions. This thruster was tested in the space probe Deep Space 1, launched in 1998. The Dawn mission was launched in September 2007 to explore the dwarf planet Ceres and the asteroid Vesta. To cruise from Earth to its targets it will use three Deep Space 1, heritage, NSTAR thrusters, firing only one at a time, to take it in a long outward spiral. The three thrusters are required to meet the lifespan requirement of the engine. |
 | Ion Thruster http://dielectric.thq.googlepages.com/ion_thruster |
 | A proposed mission to Titan using NASA's NEXT ion engine A proposed mission to Saturn's moon Titan using NASA's NEXT ion engine. The NEXT ion thruster is capable of delivering 236 milliNewtons of force over the course of the multi-year mission to deliver a satellite and a lander to Titan. For the Titan mission, both an orbiter and a lander could be sent to the distant moon, which lies more than 1 billion kilometres from the Sun. |
 | Lifter technology-ion thruster..... This is a plastic drinking straw with aluminium foil taped to the end and a thin wire held in the middle,hooked up to high voltage DC |
 | ion thruster III Ions flow between HV electrodes (working as a stator) can create pretty strong drag to run a light rotor. |
 | ion thruster IV Ions flow from sharpended HV electrodes (working as a stator) can create pretty strong drag to run a light rotor. |
 | Lifter -- electric ion propulsion thruster with PAYLOAD! This is the second and improved version, it caries a payload heavier than a lifter itself!!! Automotive ignition coil is powered by solid state switch from a low freq signal generator. Just look at those sparks striking like a lightning! That amazing apparatus produces lift without any moving parts, by using electrical power to ionize and accelerate air around it, just like an invisible propeller! Exact science behind it is still not 100% understood. I built this one when I was a sophomore in Russia. Got bored and found the way to entertain myself:) |
 | Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) was a proposed spacecraft designed to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. The main target was Europa, the suspected ocean of which is one of the places where simple alien life is a possibility in our solar system. Ganymede and Callisto, which are now thought to have liquid, salty oceans beneath their icy surfaces, were also targets of interest for the probe. Science payload mass: 1500 kg Ion thrusters: multiple 30kW,Isp=7000s Mission design life: 20 years |
 | Dawn's Xenon Ion Thrusters Celestia particle system demonstration: ion thrusters on the Dawn spacecraft. Solar electric propulsion is the enabling technology for Dawn's mission to the asteroids Ceres and Vesta. In the simulation, a Gaussian distribution of initial particle positions is used to produce the brighter 'core' of the jet. |
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